Vehicle-tire.



H. S. NUNAMAKER.

VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1913.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

HENRY S. NUNAMAKER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Application filed September 25, 1913. Serial No. 791,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. NUNAMAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Vehicle-Tire, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in vehicle tires and especially tocushion tires adapted for use on motor vehicles and the li re.

The objects of the invention are to generally improve vehicle tires ofthe character mentioned, to provide a cushion tire made in a pluralityof renewable parts, to so construct the tire that those parts subject towear by contact with the road may be made of material most suitable toresist such wear, whereas other parts may be made of material moresuited to produce a cushion efiect.

Further objects are to provide for the convenient and ready connectionand disconnection of said tires with relation to the wheel and foradjustment of the various partsso as to form a substantial and efficienttire adapted for hard usage under all conditions.

These objects, together with other objects readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, may be attained by the construction illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, although the invention may be embodied inother forms, the construction illustrated being chosen by way ofexample.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicleWheel provided with a tire embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is afragmentary View, partly in perspective and partly in cross section, ofthe folly, rim and tire. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the folly and rimonly. Fig. i is a sectional view of one of the rim-clamping bolts.

Throughout the several Views similar reference numerals indicate similarparts.

More specifically describing the construction disclosed in the drawings,the numeral 1 indicates the spokes and the numeral 2 the felly of thewheel. Upon the peripheral face of the felly 1 is arranged the rim,which is formed of two members, a fixed member 3 provided with theattaching base 4: extending across the peripheral face of the felly 2,and having at one of its outer edges the upturned retaining flange 5.Some means, as the screws 7 are provided for reifJaiping the fixedmember 5 in place upon the el y.

The adjustable member 8 is provided with a flat base portion 9 providedat its outer edge with the upturned retaining flange 10 and somewhatthinned or tapered at its inner edge 11. The inner edge 11 of the memberS is adapted to overlie the base 4: of the member 3, as illustrated inFig. 2, so that lateral adjustment of the member 8 with relation to themember 3 may be made without throwing the tire-bearing faces of themembers 3 and 8 greatly out of alinement.

For the purpose of drawing the member 8 inwardly on the felly therim-clamping bolts, such as illustrated in Fig. 4., are provided. Eachbolt comprises a tubular member 12 provided with a hooked head 18, and abolt member 14;, provided with the head 15, is adapted to screw into thetubular member 12. The tubular member 12 extends through the felly fromthe outer side thereof, the hooked head 13 engaging the flange 10 of themember 8, and the bolt member 14 extends through the felly from theinner side thereof and is screwed into the member 12. The head 15bearing against the inner face of the folly 2, the hooked head 13 may bedrawn inwardly by screwing up the bolt 14, as will be well understood. Aplurality of such clamping bolts should be employed, annularly spacedfrom eaohother about the folly, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The resilient portion of the tire comprises a tread member 16,preferably formed of a rubber compound which is tough and well. adaptedto withstand the wear and tear of contact with the road while possessingresilient and cushion properties also, to a degree, and the base members17, preferably formed of a compound, which is harder than, thoughresilient, and not necessarily so tough as the tread member. Each of themembers 16 and 17 extends entirely around the wheel, being preferablyprovided with the retaining wires 18 embedded in the midst of each ofsaid members, in accordance with the common and well known practice incushion tires.

It will be especially noted that each of the members 17 is of triangularprism form, and is arranged with one of its faces seated upon the rim,and two of its faces outwardly disposed. The two members 17 are arrangedside by side with their respective outer angular edges engaged by theflanges 5 and ened or smooth, as may be desired.

10 and with their inner respective angular edges substantially inengagement with each other. The other, free angular edges of the saidtwo members are thus spaced from each other, and the faces between saidspaced edges and the inner, substantially engaged angular edges form anangular valley extending entirely around the wheel.

The tread member 16 in the construction illustrated is of greater crosssectional area than either of the members 17 and such, in fact, is theconstruction usually to be preferred. The tread face of the member maybe curved, as illustrated in the drawings, or of any other shape orcontour, either rough- The said member is provided with a centralretaining portion 19 which exactly fits into the angular valleymentioned, and integral portions 20 of the member 16 extend over theouter. free faces of the members 17, said portions 20 terminating,however, short of the retaining flanges 5 and 10. It may therefore besaid of the construction, that whilethe two base members form an angularvalley 1nto which an lntegral portion of the tread member extends, saidtread member, on the other hand, is provided with two angular valleysarranged parallel to each other, into which the free angular edges ofthe base members extend.

The weight of the load tends to press the retaining portion 19 intofirmer engagement with the base members, thus tending to crowd saidmembers apart from each other, and forcing them into even firmerengagement with the flanges 5 and 10. At the same time the resilientfunctions of both base members and tread members will cooperate, theportions 20 of the tread member serving to maintain said tread memberand base members in proper position and prevent the forcing of dirt,dust, mud or foreign substances into the joint between the tread andbase members.

VVhenthe tread member 16 has become worn to such an extent that it isdesired to replace the same, the rim-clamping bolts may be loosened andthe adjustable member 8 of the rim removed, which will allow the removalof both base members and the tread member. A new tread member havingbeen applied to the two base members, all three of said members may beslidably moved onto the rim and the adjustable mempep replaced and drawnup by the clamping While I have thus disclosed the best mode in which Ihave contemplated embodying my invention, I do not desire to be limitedto the details of form and construction shown and described, for it isevident that many changes may be made as circumstances remembers andmeans for adjustably moving said base members together to retain saidtreadmember in position with relation to said base members.

2. A vehicle tire comprising, in combination with the rim of a wheel,two basemembers of triangular-prism form arranged upon said rim andforming between them an angular valley extending around the wheel,

' a tread member provided with an integral extension adapted to exactlyfit into said angular valley to retain said tread member in positionwith relation to said 'base members and means for adjustably moving saidbase members toward each other for the purpose of clamping said integralextension therebetween.

3. In a vehicle tire comprising, two parallel triangular-prism basemembers arranged side by side, and having free spaced angular edges, atread member provided with angular grooves receiving said angular edges,said tread member also provided with an integral, triangular-prismretaining portion extending between said members and means foradjustably drawing said base members together for the. purpose ofclamping said integral, retaining portion therebetween.

A vehicle the comprising, in combination with the felly of a wheel, afixed tire provided with an annular retaining flange at one edgethereof, a movable tire provided with an annular retaining flange, saidmove able tire being adapted to be laterally moved upon the periphery ofsaid fixed tire, a pair of parallel, triangular-prism base membersarranged side by side upon said tires, said base members oeing retained.between said retaining flanges, said base members forming between theman annular valley, a tread member provided with an integral retainingportion arranged within said angular valley and means for adjustablymoving said movable tire upon said fixed tire, said base member beingclamped between said retaining flanges.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

E. V. WERNICIK, CHAS. F. KAUFFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe -Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

